St. Landry democrat., 1887-07-16

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you start from this world is old age, and the
point to which you 60 is eternal juven-
escence, aged man, clap your hands at
the anticipation, and say, in perfect rap
ture of soul: "The time of my departure
is at hand"
remark, again, all those ought to feel
this iov of the text who have holy Gu
riosity to know what is beyond this
earthly terminus. And who has not any
curiosity about it Paul, suppose, had
the most satisfactory view of Heaven,
and he says: "It doth not yet appear
what we shall be-" 1t is like looking
through broken telescope; "Now we
see through glass darkly." AN you
tell me anything about that heavenly
place? You ask me thousand questions
about it that l cannot answer. l ask you
a thousand questions about 1t that you
cannot answer. And do you wonder that
Paul was so glad when martyrdom gave
him chance to 60 over and make dis
coveries in that blessed country?
| hope some day. by the grace of God,
to 90 over and see for myself; but not
now. No well man, no prospered man,
| think, wants to 60 now. But the time
will come, / think, when shall go over.
l want to see what they do there, and |
want to see how they do it. do not want
to be looking through the gates ajar for
ever want them to swing wide open.
There are ten thousand things want ex-
plained-about you, about myself, about
the government of this world, about God,
about everything We start in a plain
path of what we know, and in a minute
come up against high wall of what we
do not know. | wonder how it looks
over there. Somebody tells me it is like
a paved city-paved with gold; and an
other tells me it is like fountain, and it
is like tree, and it is like a triumphal pro-
cession; and the next man | meet tells
me it is all tigurative. | really want to
know, after the body is resurrected, what
they wear and what they eat ; and have
an immeasurable curiosity to know what
it is, and now it is, and where it is. Co
umbus risked his life to discover this
continent, and shall we shudder to go
out ON a voyage of discovery which shall
reveal vaster and more brilliant coun
try? John Franklin risked his life to
find a passage between icebergs, and
shall we dread to find a passage
to eternal summer? Men in Switzer-
land travel up the heights of the Matter
horn with alpenstock, and guides, and
rockets, and ropes, and, getting way up,
stumble and fall down in a horrible mas
sacre. They just want to say they had
been on the tops of those high peaks
And shall we fear to 60 out for the as
cent of the eternal hills which start
thousand miles beyond where stop the
highest peaks of the Alps, and when
in that ascent there is no peril? \ man
doomed to die stepped on the scatfold and
said in joy: "Now, in ten minutes |
will know the great secret" One min
ute after the vital functions ceased. the
little child that died last night in Mon
tague street knew more than Jonathan
Edwards, or St. Paul himself, before he
died. Friends. the exit from this world,
or death, if you please to call it, to the
Christian is glorious explanation. 1t is
demonstration. 1t is illumination. 1t is
sunburst. 1t is the opening of all the
windows. 1t is shutting up the catechism
of doubt, and the unrolling of all
the scrolls of positive and accurate in
formation. Instead of standing at the
foot of the ladder and looking up, it is
standing at the top of the ladder and
looking down. 1t is the last mystery
taken out of botany, and geology, and
astronomy, and theology. O. will it not
be grand to have all questions answered?
The perpetually recurring interrogation
point changed for the mark of exclama-
ton. All riddles solved. Who will fear
to 60 out on that discovery, when all the
questions are to be decided which we
have been discussing all our lives? Who
shall not clap his hands in the anticipa-
ton of that blessed country, if it be no
better than through holy curiosity cry
ing, "The time of my departure is at
handr
Iremark, again we ought to have the joy
of the text, because, leaving this world,
we move into the best society of the uni
verse. You see great crowd of people
in some street, and you say: Who is
passing there? What general, what
prince is going up there ~ Well, see a
great throng in Heaven. | say: "Who is
the focus of all that admiration Who
is the centre of that glittering company?"
the favorte of all ages. Do you know
ask when it comes through the gate of
Heaven? l think the first question will
be: "Where is Jesus, the Saviour that
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sorrows; that fought my battles; that
won my victories?' o radiant one !
how l would like to see Thee! Thou of
the manger, but without its humiliation.
Thou of the cross, but without its pangs;
Thou of the grave, but without its dark
ness.
The Bible intimates that we will talk
with Jesus in Heaven just as brother
talks with a brother. Now, what will
you ask Him first? do not know. [
can think what | would ask Paul first if
| saw him in Heaven. | think would
like to hear him describe the storm that
came upon the ship when there were two
hundred and seventy-fve souls on the
vessel Paul being the only man on
board cool enough to describe the storm.
There is fascination about ship and
the sea that shall never get over, and I
think I would like to hear him talk about
that first. But when | meet nv Lord |
Jesus Christ, of what shall / first delight
10 hear Him speak: Now, think what
it is. l shall first want to hear the tra-
yedy of His last hours; and then Luke's
account of the crucifxion, and |
Marks account Of the crucifxion, and |
Johns account of the crucifixion will be
lothing, while from the living lips of
Christ the story shall be told of the
gloom that fell, and the devils that arose,